text:
Charles Frazier offers an in-depth interview regarding Cold Mountain, including which elements of Inman's story in the novel were real and why he chose his unconventional rhythm and timbre writing style.
It seems almost incredible that Cold Mountain is your first
novel. Have you ever tried writing fiction before--short stories, or incomplete
unpublished novels?
Like a lot of people, I tried to write some fiction when I was in
my twenties--college age, just after that. It didn't work out so well. I wasn't
happy with what I did; it was sort of pretentious and technically pretty weak.
So I put that idea away and decided that I was going to be an academic and that
I would study other people's writing rather than write myself. But when I got to
be forty, I started wanting to write again for some reason, and found when I
began doing it that what I was doing was very different from what I had done
when I was twenty-five. I liked it better and was happier doing it, and it
seemed to me to be worth doing, suddenly. I think as you get older you get a
sense of what is important in life and what is significant enough to write
Turning to Cold Mountain: Who was the original Inman?
He was my great great uncle. And part of the character was based on
my great grandfather. Both of them went to the Civil War--volunteered in the
first few months of that war fever and went off to battle. This Inman was in
some of the worst fighting of the war. He was in Virginia and was in many
battles in key positions. But I knew so little about him. There were no
photographs of him; he wrote no letters home. It's just a little fragment of a
family story about this guy--of his war experience, his coming home, and what
happened to him when he got there.
Was there something particular about his story, that struck you as
especially dramatic?
The thing that interested me most--and I think that caught my
imagination when my father told me this story--was his walk home, away from the
war, toward home and the mountains of North Carolina. I thought about what he
was getting away from and what he was walking toward. And that shaped the
character and the whole direction of the novel.
How long did you think about Inman's story before deciding to turn it
into a novel?
I'd been wanting to write a book that had the southern Appalachian
Mountains as a primary force, almost like a main character, for quite some time,
but I didn't know whether I wanted to write a work of fiction, nonfiction, or
what. I had been keeping notebooks and doing a lot of background research:
history, natural history, that kind of thing. But I didn't have a story. I
didn't have a focus for the book; I just had material. So when my father told me
this story, I immediately thought "Well there's my story, that's my
focus," and I probably began working within two or three days.
So which elements of his story in the book were real, and which did you
Well, we knew so little. The story my father told was a short
paragraph, at most a few sentences, of facts--a kind of an outline of a fairly
short life. I tried to fill that in with research from his war records and the
state archives and came up with maybe that much more. So what I had to begin
with was two paragraphs about this fella. What I knew was what kind of family he
was from, when he went to the war, the battles he was in, when he was wounded,
when he left the war and went home, and what happened to him when he got there.
I tried to keep that bare outline as true to the facts of his life as I could
make it. But what the absence of information allowed me to do was to make up a
character and make a story, and that's what novelists need to do. So in some
sense I'm happy that I didn't have more information, that Inman didn't keep a
journal for me to draw from, that I had to make it up.
What made you decide to base Inman's story on The Odyssey?
When my father told me the story of this ancestor, that was one of
the first things I thought of--that there were certain parallels to The
Odyssey that might be useful in trying to think of a way to tell this story.
A warrior, weary of war, trying to get home and facing all kinds of impediments
along the way, a woman at home beset by all kinds of problems of her own that
are as compelling as his. So I reread The Odyssey--that was one of the
first things I did when I really began working on the book. There was a certain
temptation to write parallel scenes--to try to have a Cyclops scene, or
whatever. But really quickly I decided that that would be pretty limiting and
kind of artificial. So I just let The Odyssey stay in the back of my mind
as a model of a warrior wanting to put that war behind him and get home.
Did you see any parallels between the actual American Civil War and the
Trojan War?
Not in particular. I was pretty suspicious of writing a Civil War
novel. I didn't want to write a novel of the battles and the generals and those
famous personalities. There have been a lot of books written about that--good
ones and bad ones--and I didn't want to add to the bulk of that literature. But
I realized that there are two kinds of books about a war: there's an Iliad,
about fighting the war, and about the battles and generals, and there's an Odyssey,
about a warrior who has decided that home and peace are the things he wants.
Once I decided that I was writing an Odyssey kind of book instead of an Iliad
kind of book, I could move forward with it with some sense of happiness.
What characteristics did you give Inman to make him resemble Odysseus?
Well, that desire for home is certainly the core of it. There are
wonderful passages in The Odyssey where Odysseus just sort of drifts into
prayer--these monologues that express his deepest desires. And I looked at those
pretty carefully to discover what this character wants, what it is he's afraid
of and running from, and what it is he's running toward. Those things helped me
The style of Cold Mountain is rather unconventional, not quite
like that of any other book. Why did you decide to use this unusual rhythm and
I was interested in several things in the language of the book. One
was: I was creating this historical, fictional world, and I wanted the language
of the book to create a sense of otherness, of another world, one that the
reader doesn't entirely know. It occupies many of the same geographical points
as our current world, but is in a lot of ways very different. I wanted the
language to signal that. So one thing I used to help with that was words for
tools and processes and kitchen implements that are almost lost words. Ugly, old
words like piggin and spurtle and keeler, which are all kitchen implements.
Those kinds of words would signal to a reader that it's a different material
world, a different physical world from ours. The other thing I was interested
in, since I was writing a lot about the southern Appalachians, was getting a
sense of the particular use of language in that region, the rhythm of it. I
didn't want to resort to spelling liquor "l-i-k-k-e-r" or something
like that. I wanted the music of that language more than just oddities of
spelling and pronunciation. So I thought about the way old people talked when I
was a kid, who had that authentic Appalachian accent, and realized that it was
more a music, a rhythm, than anything else in my ear, and there were days that I
could hear that--a voice, a pattern of voice, somewhat like, say, Bill Monroe's
when he was talking rather than singing, that has a very musical quality to it.
When I could hear that in my ear, I was sure I was going to have a good day of
The dialogue in Cold Mountain is memorably idiosyncratic. Do
people still talk in that region that way the characters in the novel do?
You can find people who still talk that way, who use some of those
old expressions, and have that old rhythm, but it's going quickly. Everybody
listens to television and everybody begins to talk the same. There is a kind of
loss of regional identity in that. But you still get that kind of very laconic
response sometimes with real native mountaineers.
You must have done extensive research into the habits and routines of
agriculture and farm life during the nineteenth century. How did you research
There are a couple of ways: the first thing was just memory. When I
was growing up in the fifties and early sixties, there were still farms in the
southern mountains that ran in that old nineteenth-century way. They maybe had
electricity, but all the processes of farming were pretty much pre-twentieth
century. That is, they didn't have tractors, they plowed with mules, everything
was done with animal power, lots of arms, with no powered equipment whatsoever.
So it was an exercise in memory to try to recover the look of a farm like that,
the rhythm of a day at a farm like that, the quiet of a place like that without
the roar of an engine going on all the time. The parts that I couldn't remember
from my childhood experience--the details--I filled in with library research. A
lot of old journals and letters and things like that--where people would be
talking about what their plans for the farm were--were very helpful, and then
more academic kinds of research on nineteenthÐcentury agricultural practices.
Some might see library research as the least interesting part. How did
you find it?
In many ways it's my favorite part of working on a book. I love to
spend the day in the library with a handful of questions that I need answered.
To be able to fill out this fictional world I'm trying to create. I always go in
with five or six questions, but the things I actually find end up being much
more interesting than the things that I went to find. The kinds of things I
enjoy the most and that were the most helpful in writing the book were things
like letters and journals of women of the nineteenth century. And I think they
helped me a great deal in developing female characters that maybe are a little
different from most people's stereotypical views of what women were like then. I
found journals and letters of women who were very intelligent, headstrong,
opinionated, strong women. One of the things I remember is a group of wealthy
young women who had gone to a prep school in Charleston. They agreed when they
graduated that they would have a reunion ten years later, but they decided that
only the unmarried women could come to the reunion, because the married ones
would by definition be boring. And I'm not sure that that is our view of
nineteenth-century Southern womanhood. I was very interested in reading letters
to their husbands from women who'd been left at home to handle the family farm.
To follow those letters over the course of the war, to feel those women getting
stronger, more confident--they had begun the war asking their husbands'
permission for every decision that needed to be made. By about half way through
the war, those same women were informing their husbands that decisions had been
made. So it was a kind of process of self-mastery that I think is always a very
helpful thing to observe.
Music plays a very large role in the book. Why is that?
One of the things that music does is sum up a culture in some very
concrete way. That old time fiddle music--stringÐband music of the southern
Appalachians that's kind of an extension of Scottish and Irish and British folk
music--gave me access into that old culture and into that other time that seemed
very direct. I began collecting this music when I first started working on the
book, and when I could find something that would be, say, an old man in 1920
recording an old ballad or banjo tune or whatever, I felt like I was getting
about as direct access to a piece of that old southern Appalachian culture of
the nineteenth century as I was going to get.
Were you able to find old recordings that actually gave you a sense of
the music of the Civil War era?
Yeah, that kind of music is more and more accessible. There are
some wonderful re-issues. Small recording companies have done a wonderful job of
keeping that music alive. And in many cases this stuff may exist only on one or
two scratchy old records. To have those things preserved on CD is wonderful.
There are very few people that write about nature as masterfully as you
do. Are there any you particularly admire?
Well, there are lots. William Bartram was one of the great nature
writers of the early years of this country. He did a lot of traveling in the
Southeast, through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and wrote
these beautiful, ecstatic descriptions of the very untouched world in the late
1700s. And he found his way into the book--Inman reads, takes with him on his
journey, a copy of Bartram's travels and reads them as a kind of tonic when he's
feeling depressed or can't sleep or whatever. Some of the best nature writing I
know of is in fiction. Melville, for example, wrote wonderful descriptions of
the sea and sea life and that kind of thing. Tolstoy and Turgenev wrote
wonderful descriptions of nature and had very close observational eyes.
Hemingway in this century--a story like "Big Two-Hearted River" has in
it some of the best nature writing I know of anywhere. And of writers who are
working now, a writer like Barry Lopez is probably the best going in this
regard. Or a fiction writer like Jim Harrison who has a very keen eye for the
natural world. Those are all great writers that I read frequently and with great
What views of the war and of politics do you feel the novel puts
I tried not to think about that too much when I was working on the
book. I was interested in why a man like Inman went to this war--why he
volunteered. "It wasn't his fight," was my first thought on it--he
didn't own slaves and very few people he would have known did. Only about seven
or eight percent of people in the southern mountains owned slaves. I think that
he, and people like him, were fighting because they thought they we repelling an
invasion of their homeland. But what I began to think about the politics of that
war was that is was two economic systems--you had this slave/agricultural system
in the South and a growing industrial capitalist system in the North, and then
you had people like Inman who lived in an older economic system, kind of like
subsistence farming. You had people like that in the North and South, and one of
the tragedies of the war to me was that those people got caught up, caught in
the crossfire of this war. Many of them died fighting somebody else's battle.
Did your research on the Civil War period change your ideas on these
It did in some senses. I remember early on in writing the book,
going for a walk in the mountains and coming upon a grave--it was actually two
graves, side by side--in this lonesome hillside, five miles from the nearest
road. I found out later that it was an old man and a boy who had been killed by
federal raiders who had come over the mountains from Tennessee looking for food.
They killed these two guys that were just going about their business. Near there
is another double grave with a fiddler and a boy in it who were killed by
Southern Home Guard in much the same way. Looking at those two graves, and
seeing these people who were essentially farmers, caught in that crossfire and
killed in this utterly pointless way--I think did shape some of my feeling
toward the war.
Do you feel that thinking about the Civil War and Reconstruction can
shed light on what goes on in the world today?
Well, I think that thinking about the past is always useful. To
look at where we've been and where we are and to think about what we've gained
and what we've lost to get here, to think about whether that's been a good deal
or not, I think is always useful.
How long did it take you to write Cold Mountain?
I think I worked on it for six or seven years. It's hard to say
since I worked on it for quite a while without knowing that's what I was doing.
I was just going up to the mountains, knowing I wanted to write a book set
there, but I didn't have a story. I spent two or three years just trying to
learn the kind of plant lore, for example, that would have been a piece of
everyday knowledge in the nineteenth century and that we tend not to have these
days. Learning that kind of thing, learning the details of local history, of
local happenings, those kinds of things took a long time and didn't seem to have
any purpose for quite a long time.
Once you had written the book, how did you go about finding a
Well, the novelist Kaye Gibbons is a friend of mine and she read
the book when it was maybe halfway done and sent it off to her literary agency.
A young agent there decided to take an interest in the book and I guess when it
was three-quarters done, my agent said "I think we're ready to send it
out." She did, and had it sold within a couple, three weeks.
What were the reactions of people in the publishing industry when they
read you work?
I don't know. . . . They bought it, so I guess some of them liked
Did anyone ever think that it would be even close to the success that
it has become?
No, as a first novelist writing a book--a book that for years and
years was not under contract, I was just working on it and hoping to end up with
a book that I liked and that I was happy that I had done, whatever happened with
it. You'd be crazy to think of it becoming a bestseller, of winning literary
awards, that kind of thing. So I think we were all kind of hoping for modest
success within the realm of normal possibility. This has been an amazing
How has the enormous success of the novel affected your day-to-day
life, either positively or negatively?
Well, I have a whole lot less time
to write than I used to. I've been doing a lot of book tour- related things for
the past year, but other than that, the phone rings a lot more often than it
used to, and I travel a lot more, but it's pretty similar.
What was your reaction upon winning the National Book Award?
Well, I certainly didn't think I would, and I just went up to the event thinking
it would be a fun evening and that I would maybe get to see some writers that I
had always admired, and have a chance to meet a few people. But when my name was
announced, I was pretty surprised and had a hard time believing it for a second,
I think.
Probably the most vivid aspect of the novel is your powerful feeling
for the landscape of the Blue Ridge. Have you lived there all your life?
No, I grew up there and I spent a lot of time there as an adult,
but I went off to college and lived in Colorado for a certain amount of time.
But there are landscapes, I think, that people just identify as home, wherever
home is. And for me, that's home. Whenever I'm back in those mountains, I feel
like that's home, no matter how long I've been away. That's the place I know the
best, and the place that in my imagination sums up all those things about being
rooted and knowing a place and having a place.
Do you think you could be happy living in a big city?
No, I don't think so. Cities are nice to visit, but that's about
Are you at work on any other fiction?
I'm just in the very early stages of thinking about and taking
notes about another book. I don't know whether this is actually what I'll do or
not--that's part of what I'm doing, is trying to decide. But I'm interested in
the old mountain resorts in the southern Appalachians that had their high point
in the early part of the twentieth century. And I'm interested in the
relationship of those resorts, where before air-conditioning rich people would
come and spend an entire summer to get away from the heat, and live these
wonderful, elegant lives in beautiful surroundings. I'm also interested in where
that money came from, which was often from cotton mills down in the lowland
South, where people were working fourteen-hour days in 100-degree temperatures.
So I'm doing some reading about those two kinds of cultures and seeing if I find
a story there.
Do you plan on it turning into a full-length novel?
Well, that's the idea. I think there's a story there, and I'm
trying to turn it up.
Do you now consider yourself to be a full-time writer?
Yeah, I think so. For much of the time I was working on Cold
Mountain I was a full-time writer. I haven't taught in five or six years at
least, and probably will just write for the next few years, anyhow.
Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
The Cleaner
by Brandi Wells
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text:
BERLIN (REUTERS) - Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has found traces of chemicals that can pollute waterways in children's clothing and shoes made by luxury brands, challenging the sector's reputation for higher standards than those of mass fashion.
In a report issued on Monday just before Milan Fashion Week, Greenpeace said it found the substances in products from Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Hermes, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs.
Greenpeace has been campaigning against pollutants used in the textile industry since 2011. It wants major brands and their suppliers to commit to stop discharging potentially harmful chemicals in waste water by 2020.
Concerned about toxicity to aquatic organisms and the fact some do not biodegrade easily, the European Union (EU) has restricted the industrial use of some of these chemicals but there are no rules on the sales of textiles containing their residues.
Greenpeace said 12 of the 27 articles it tested contained residues of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), used in textile manufacturing which it said can break down into hormone-disrupting chemicals when released from garments during washing.
In five items, the group said it also found per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) used to make garments water repellent. Five articles tested positive for phthalates, used in printing designs on clothing, and three for antimony, a compound used to manufacture polyester.
The chemicals Greenpeace tested for have been commonly used in textile manufacturing, but are gradually being phased out by some brands due to concern about their polluting impact.
Reuters could not independently confirm Greenpeace's findings, which two of the companies sought to play down.
Armani said its products were "absolutely safe for consumers" as it complied with international guidelines that were more restrictive than EU environmental requirements.
Armani said it has committed to abolish all chemicals which could cause environmental damage to production sites by 2020 and is in discussion on this with environmental groups.
Louis Vuitton said all its products fully complied with international environment and safety standards, including the children's ballerina shoes and sneakers that Greenpeace tested positive for PFCs. Louis Vuitton said both had lower concentration levels than international rules required.
However, Louis Vuitton said it shared Greenpeace's concerns as it recognised "the intrinsic hazardous properties" of the chemicals used in the industry and said it was working hard to exceed current environmental standards.
Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Dior and Marc Jacobs were not immediately available to comment.
An industry consultant privately criticized the Greenpeace campaign, but declined to speak publicly.
Some big brands have become highly sensitive to scrutiny of their environmental standards as shoppers demand more information about how products are made, with companies like H&M and Adidas keen to portray themselves as "green".
They are among two of the 20 brands Greenpeace has already persuaded to make the "Detox" pledge, helped by supporters bombarding the firms via social media. The only luxury names to sign up so far are Britain's Burberry and Italy's Valentino.
Greenpeace said many of the products in its study were labelled as "Made in Italy", usually a by-word for quality, but still contained similar chemical residues to garments made in developing countries.
"It's time these luxury brands lived up to their reputation as fashion trendsetters, and started leading the toxic-free fashion revolution," said Ms Chiara Campione, a campaigner for Greenpeace Italy.
Many clothing retailers have already agreed to make their clothing PFC-free but some outdoor brands have said there are currently no PFC-free technologies that would provide the same lasting level of weather protection.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sonia no Jardim Needlepoint Kit
- In stock, ready to ship
- Inventory on the way
One of our goals is to encourage people to utilize the therapeutic benefits of crafting to enjoy a few moments of calm. Repeating a few simple motions can have a relaxing effect on the body and mind. "Sonia no Jardim" is a beautiful artwork that will make you fall in love with needlepoint, and its many benefits.
The canvas of "Sonia no Jardim" desgined by Paola Saliby, invites you to step into a magnificent surreal landscape, surrounded by earthy tones and habited by two mysterious hands seeping through the garden. Explore this puzzling reality while crafting a unique needlepoint piece and improving your well-being!
- Original artwork printed in premium Zweigart interlock canvas, with edges sewed with cotton bias tape
- 2 tapestry needles
- Flyer with the color threads mapping so you can start stitching quickly.
- Threads with enough quantity to stitch with the continental tent stitch (more information in the Product FAQ's; if you need more thread, leave a note at checkout - we offer you all the thread needed without extra cost!)
- Needlepoint booklet with instructions on starting needlepoint, tips for selecting needlepoint stitches, and a library of favorite stitches
- Our bespoke packaging, portable and sustainable & perfect for gifting.
When you buy the "Printed canvas only" option, all the above is included except the threads, and just a single needle. It's the perfect option if you want to create your own color variation, or re-use threads and yarn you might have at home!
We have a flat rate so you can order as much as you like to get the most from our delivery!
And there's a free shipping threshold that you can check out at the top announcement of the website!
Shipping Cost and Delivery Times:
> At checkout we inform you of the cost and estimated delivery time. Please note that the delivery times indicated at checkout are only taken into account from the moment the order is processed.
Order Processing Times:
> We aim to process each order between 1 and 3 business days. In case the item is not fully restocked, or we are having a sale, please allow up to one week.
> In case you need the item with urgency, please let us know and we will do our best to find a solution for you!
Please consult our Shipping & Returns policy page for complete details and prices.
In order to be more sustainable, we try to reduce the materials used for packaging:
During Nov & Dec:
All kits and canvases will be shipped into individual tubes/canisters or small boxes, unless you let us know you prefer to receive optimized packaging, to help us preserve the planet!
Rest of the year:
When you buy more than one kit or canvas, we always try to accommodate them in a single packaging tube or small box, and only 1 printed needlepoint booklet is included.
However, if you add a gift message at checkout, or let us know in advance that you are buying for a gift, we make sure to ship all projects into individual packages.
It's the little things that matter. We're careful to use only eco-friendly materials, that you can reuse or recycle!
All our kits come beautifully packaged with our bespoke portable tubes or small boxes, making them a perfect gift for you or a friend.


text:
Earlier I had talked about my next bike acquisition, which I decided would be something totally off-the-wall. I double-dog-dare you to find another custom titanium BMX with S&S couplings and disc brakes and a rear derailleur. Not that I tired to come up with something unique. I just thought about what my current stable of bikes lacked, whether it be a particular style of bike or combination of features. This is what I came up with. It's being built by Davidson Bicycles, which is within Elliott Bay Bicycles. And I wrench there, as well as handle the buying.
I got a text message from the frame builder on my day off: "It was a good day in the frame shop for BMX bikes." So I had to go down and see the bike on the welding jig.
My girlfriend asked me if I was going to go drool over my new Frankenbike, but that moniker doesn't really seem to fit. The bike is too small to be named after Frankenstein's monster. I've taken to calling it the goblin bike.
The construction is relatively straightforward, except for the chain stays. There really aren't any braze-ons; the Paragon dropouts already incorporate the disc caliper mount. However the chain stays are short, in the style of BMX bikes, but the cranks and chainring are a little tighter than BMX would normally have. That doesn't leave much space for the chain stays between the crank/ring and fatty tire. Will the frame builder chose to use a chain stay yoke. Will hasn't made the seat stays yet, but they'll probably be single bend 3/4" titanium tube.
This bike is likely to be really stiff and tough. Maybe not world class BMX stiff, but much stiffer than old school BMX and any mini-wheeled travel bike like a Bike Friday. I want a travel bike that packs up tiny and is bomb-proof, but the bike will have better efficiency than your standard BMX bike because it will have multiple gears. Since I am fairly short, I can actually run my saddle full height on this bike with a stock 410mm seat post, and a stock BMX handlebar will be more than high enough. No custom or esoteric parts required.
…We're riding townies, adventure, and mountain bikes. Find recommendations on our store page. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.


text:
Advertisement |
Jee Young Lee (born 2 December 1985) is a South Korean professional golfer now playing on the United States LPGA Tour.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee began playing golf at age 14 and turned professional in 2004, playing on the LPGA of Korea Tour. In 2005, as a member of the KLPGA, she won the CJ Nine Bridges Classic, while still not yet a member of the LPGA. That same year, she won the TaeYoung Cup on the KLPGA Tour.
DNP = did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" = tied Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.


text:
Thanks for all the great entries in my last challenge!
Alright, so this time around I have a special challenge for you guys, and I couldn't wait until April Fool's to share it with you. I'd like for you to create the most horrible, crappiest, atrocious card you possibly could make (without breaking TheOtaku's submission guidelines, of course). I want you to make the same mistakes all the newbies make: JPEG artifacts, atrocious color schemes, horrible typography, unattractive image resizing, etc. I'd like you to make something close to this. You know the type of card I'm talking about, right? And I do not want to see anything like this entered into this challenge. That is just unacceptable (and will be disqualified immediately).
Sure, you might be the best of the best, but are you also the best of the worst? Rip open your MS Paint and get to work! And remember guys, this is all just for poops and giggles. Just let loose and have a fun time at being awesomely horrible. Not too much pressure, right?
- Card can be any type/genre.
- If using a quote, please give the source.
- Cards must be from an anime or manga source.
- 1 submission per person. (I won't let this challenge sully your beautiful portfolio too much, 'kay?)
- Oh, and lastly - anyone's allowed to enter!
Bonus: Each person who submits will get a cookie 'cause they're awesome for being gutsy enough to enter. Chyeah.
First Place - One Two Card Requests + Two Avatar/Icon Requests
Second Place - One Card Request + Two Avatar/Icon Requests
Third Place - One Two Avatar/Icon Requests
*In the event of a tie, a gift will be in place of a medal.
I will be judging based on creativity and bad quality, so do your best worst & good luck!
Challenge Over! Please check out the results Here!


text:
Métis and Off-Reserve Aboriginals Await Outcome of Harper Appeal of Court Status Ruling
The Canadian government is appealing a court ruling that gives Métis and off-reserve aboriginals the same constitutional status as those who live on reserves.
The ruling, which came down on January 8, found in favor of the 1999 lawsuit Daniels v. the Queen, which was brought against Canada's government by the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, nonstatus Indians and Métis. The plaintiffs alleged they were victims of discrimination because they were not legally considered to be "Indians" under a section of the 1867 Constitution Act.
On-reserve First Nations members receive various benefits for health, education and other line items from Ottawa. The ruling did not stipulate that the federal government should assume those fiscal responsibilities. But it left open the possibility that the government would at some point have to negotiate with those groups, the Globe and Mail reported.
With more than 600,000 aboriginals living off-reserve, the financial implications could be major.
About a month after the ruling, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced it would appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
"Given that the federal court decision in the…Daniels case raises complex legal issues, it is prudent for Canada to obtain a decision from a higher court," said then–Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development John Duncan in a statement at the time. "After careful consideration of the decision, Canada has filed an appeal, and it would be inappropriate to comment further as the case is before the courts."
Not surprisingly, aboriginal groups were not happy with the decision to appeal.
"I am really disappointed because we're back to square one," said Métis Nation of Saskatchewan president Robert Doucette to the Canadian radio station NewsTalk650. "I think the federal government really missed a historic opportunity in the history of this country to fix the wrong that happened over a couple hundred years ago and to really sit down and talk with Métis people."
"This decision comes at the expense of Métis and nonstatus Indians, who for far too long have been the 'forgotten peoples' of Canada struggling for recognition of their constitutional rights, equality, dignity, self-worth and fairness," said Betty Ann Lavallée, national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, in a statement. "With the recent federal court ruling in favor of Métis and nonstatus Indians, Congress officials had been looking forward to working with the federal government on practical solutions to improve off-reserve aboriginal peoples' lives."


text:
Dear Sir
I have written a number of letters to you since my return here, and shall add this by another casual oppurtunity just notified to me by Mr St. John. Your favor of July 31 came to hand the day before yesterday. The pamphlets of the Marquis Condorcet & Mr. Dupont referred to in it have also been received. Your other letters inclosed to the Delegation have been and will be disposed of as you wish; particularly those to M' Eppes & Col. Lewis.
Nothing has been done on the subject of the outfit, there not having been a Congress of nine States for some time, nor even of seven for the last week. It is pretty certain that there will not again be a qourum of either number within the present year, and by no means certain that there will be one at all under the old Confederation. The Committee finding that nothing could be done have neglected to make a report as yet. I have spoken with a member of it in order to get one made, that the case may fall of course and in a favorable shape within the attention of the New Government. The fear of a precedent will probably lead to an allowance for a limited time, of the salary as enjoyed originally by foreign ministers in preference to a separate allowance for outfit. One of the membersof the treasury board who ought, if certain faces have not escaped his memory to witness the reasonableness of your calculations, takes occasion I find to impress a contrary idea. Fortunately his influence will not be a very formidable obstacle to right.
The States which have adopted the New Constitution are all proceeding to the arrangements for putting it into action in March next. Pennsylv. alone has as yet actually appointed deputies, & that only for the Senate. My last mention that these were Mr. R. Morris & a Mr. McClay. How the other elections there & elsewhere will run is a matter of uncertainty. The Presidency alone unites the conjectures of the public. The vice president is not at all marked out by the general voice. As the President will be from a Southern State, it falls almost of course for the other part of the Continent to supply the next in rank. South Carolina may however think of Mr. Rutledge unless it should be previously discovered that votes will be wasted on him. The only candidates in the Northern States brought forward with their known consent are Hancock and Adams and between these it seems probable the question will lie. Both of them are objectionable & would I think be postponed by the general suffrage to several others if they would accept the place. Hancock is weak ambitious a courtier of popularity given to low intrigue and lately reunited by a factious friendship with S. Adams. J. Adams has made himself obnoxious to many particularly in the Southern states by the political principles avowed in his book. Others recollecting his cabal during the war against General Washington knowing his extravagant self-importance and considering his preference of an unprofitable dignity to some place of emolument better adapted to private fortune as proof of his having an eye to the presidency, conclude that he would not be a very cordial second to the General, and that an impatient ambition might even intrigue for a premature advancement. The danger would be the greater if particular factious characters, as may be the case, should get into the public councils. Adams it appears, is not unaware of some of the obstacles to his wish, and thro a letter to Smith has thrown out popular sentiments as to the proposed president.
The little pamphlet herewith inclosed will give you a collective view of the alterations which have been proposed for the new Constitution. Various and numerous as they appear they certainly omit many of the true grounds of opposition. The articles relating to Treaties, to paper money, and to contracts, created more enemies than all the errors in the system positive and negative put together. It is true nevertheless that not a few, particularly in Virginia have contended for the proposed alterations from the most honorable & patriotic motives; and that among the advocates for the Constitutionthere are some who wish for further guards to public liberty & individual rights. As far as these may consist of a constitutional declaration of the most essential rights, it is probable they will be added; though there are many who think such addition unnecessary, and not a few who think it misplaced in such a Constitution. There is scarce any point on which the party in opposition is so much divided as to its importance and its propriety. My own opinion has always been in favor of a bill of rights; provided it be so framed as not to imply powers not meant to be included in the enumeration. At the same time, I have never thought the omission a material defect, nor been anxious to supply it even by subsequent amendment for any other reason than that it is anxiously desired by others. I have favored it because I supposed it might be of use, and if properly executed, could not be of disservice. I have not viewed it in an important light—1. because I conceive that in a certain degree, though not in the extent argued by Mr. Wilson, the rights in question are reserved by the manner in which the federal powers are granted. 2. because there is great reason to fear that a positive declaration of some of the most essential rights could not be obtained in the requisite latitude. I am sure that the rights of Conscience in particular, if submitted to public definition would be narrowed much more than they are likely ever to be by an assumed power. One of the objections in New England was, that the Constitution, by prohibiting religious tests, opened a door for Jews, Turks, and infidels. 3. because the limited powers of the federal Government, and the jealousy of the subordinate Governments, afford a security which has not existed in the case of the State Governments, and exists in no other. 4. because experience proves the inefficacy of a bill of rights on those occasions when its controul is most needed. Repeated violations of these parchment barriers have been committed by overbearing majorities in every State. In Virginia I have seen the bill of rights violated in every instance where it has been opposed to a popular current. Notwithstanding the explicit provision contained in that instrument for the rights of conscience, it is well known that a religious establishment wd. have taken place in that State, if the Legislative majority had found as they expected, a majority of the people in favor of the measure; and I am persuaded that if a majority of the people were now of one sect, the measure would still take place, and on narrower ground than was then proposed, notwithstanding the additional obstacle which the law has since created. Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression. In our Governments the real power lies in the majority of the community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the Constituents. This is a truth of great importance, but not yet sufficiently attended to; and is probably more strongly impressed on my mind by facts, and reflections suggested by them, than on yours, which has contemplated abuses of power issuing from a very different quarter. Wherever there is an interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done, and not less readily by a powerful and interested party than by a powerful and interested prince. The difference, so far as it relates to the superiorityof republics over monarchies, lies in the less degree of probability that interest may prompt abuses of power in the former than in the latter; and in the security in the former agst. an oppression of more than the smaller part of the Society, whereas in the former [latter] it may be extended in a manner to the whole. The difference so far as it relates to the point in question— the efficacy of a bill of rights in controuling abuses of power— lies in this: that in a monarchy the latent force of the nation is superior to that of the sovereign, and a solemn charter of popular rights must have a great effect, as a standard for trying the validity of public acts, and a signal for rousing & uniting the superior force of the community; whereas in a popular Government the political and physical power may be considered as vested in the same hands, that is in a majority of the people, and consequently the tyrannical will of the Sovereign is not [to] be controuled by the dread of an appeal to any other force within the community. What use then it may be asked can a bill of rights serve in popular Governments? I answer the two following which, though less essential than in other Governments, sufficiently recommend the precaution: 1. The political truths declared in that solemn manner acquire by degrees the character of fundamental maxims of free Government, and as they become incorporated with the National sentiment, counteract the impulses of interest and passion. 2. Altho. it be generally true as above stated that the danger of oppression lies in the interested majorities of the people rather than in usurped acts of the Government, yet there may be occasions on which the evil may spring from the latter source; and on such, a bill of rights will be a good ground for an appeal to the sense of the community. Perhaps too there may be a certain degree of danger, that succession of artful and ambitious rulers may by gradual & well-timed advances, finally erect an independent Government on the subversion of liberty. Should this danger exist at all, it is prudent to guard agst. it, especially when the precaution can do no injury. At the same time, I must own that I see no tendency in our Governments to danger on that side. It has been remarked that there is a tendency in all Governments to an augmentation of power at the expence of liberty. But the remark as usually understood does not appear to me well founded. Power when it has attained a certain degree of energy and independence goes on generally to further degrees. But when below that degree, the direct tendency is to further degrees of relaxation, until the abuses of liberty beget a sudden transition to an undue degree of power. With this explanation the remark may be true; and in the latter sense only is it, in my opinion applicable to the Governments in America. It is a melancholy reflection that liberty should be equally exposed to danger whether the Government have too much or too little power, and that the line which divides these extremes shouldbe so inaccurately defined by experience.
Supposing a bill of rights to be proper the articles which ought to compose it, admit of much discussion. I am inclined to think that absolute restrictions in cases that are doubtful, or where emergencies may overrule them, ought to be avoided. The restrictions however strongly marked on paper will never be regarded when opposed to the decided sense of the public, and after repeated violations in extraordinary cases, they will lose even their ordinary efficacy. Should a Rebellion or insurrection alarm the people as well as the Government, and a suspension of the Hab. Corp. be dictated by the alarm, no written prohibitions on earth would prevent the measure. Should an army in time of peace be gradually established in our neighborhood by Britn: or Spain, declarations on paper would have as little effect in preventing a standing force for the public safety. The best security agst these evils is to remove the pretext for them. With regard to Monopolies they are justly classed among the greatest nuisances in Government. But is it clear that as encouragements to literary works and ingenious discoveries, they are not too valuable to be wholly renounced? Would it not suffice to reserve in all cases a right to the Public to abolish the privilege, at a price to be specified in the grant of it? Is there not also infinitely less danger of this abuse in our Governments than in most others? Monopolies are sacrifices of the many to the few. Where the power is in the few it is natural for them to sacrifice the many to their own partialities and corruptions. Where the power as with us is in the many not in the few the danger cannot be very great that the few will be thus favored. It is much more to be dreaded that the few will be unnecessarily sacrificed to the many.
I inclose a paper containing the late proceedings in Kentucky. I wish the ensuring Convention may take no step injurious to the character of the district, and favorable to the views of those who wish ill to the U. States. One of my late letters communicated some circumstances which will not fail to occur on perusing the objects of the preposed Convention in next month. Perhaps however there may be less connection between the two cases than at first one is ready to conjecture. I am D' Sir with the sincerest esteem & affectn, Yours


text:
I'd say I was stunned to see a local TV news reporter --- any TV news reporter, frankly --- asking the President directly about his targeted assassinations of U.S. citizens, except that the reporter was Cincinnati Fox 19's Ben Swann.
Swann's reporting was key last February, in covering the Maine GOP's attempt to steal the state's caucuses for Mitt Romney, while largely everyone else in the corporate mainstream media had dutifully moved on to whatever the "next state" was at the time.
As Glenn Greenwald tweeted, here we find a "local anchor doing real journalism". Imagine that. Someone get this guy a network gig, please!
Here's his questions to President Obama last night on the U.S. drone strikes which targeted U.S. citizens Anwar al-Awlaki and his teenage son in Yemen, both without any form of due process...


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Finding his calling: Dr. Carlos Vargas seeks to provide perpetual health to the uninsured of Macon County
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer
Imagine having the flu and sitting in a folding chair in a crowded waiting room for five hours just to see a doctor. For those with no health insurance this is probably the best option when seeking care for minor illnesses. An office visit to a family physician could cost at least $100, and that's not including prescription costs.
This scenario plagues many Americans across the country and has physicians like Dr. Carlos Vargas of Franklin creating alternatives to combat the problem.
Inspired by a California family clinic, Vargas is starting a community clinic in Franklin called Perpetual Health that will provide primary medical care to the insured and uninsured.
Vargas, 40, got the idea one night when he was surfing the web and discovered a non-traditional community health clinic in Modesto, Calif. The clinic, St. Luke's Family Practice, fit the bill of the type of services Vargas wanted to provide to his community.
"I have always wanted to do primary care and serve the poor," Vargas said.
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"There were so many things in that model that matched what I wanted to do — it was like a 'spiritual match,'" he said. "It felt like more than just a neat idea."
Creating a clinic where the uninsured and insured both benefit and receive care is a new take on health care services. At most community health clinics, only those who have no insurance or have a low-income are able to receive care.
With Vargas' model, any member of the community has the opportunity to receive primary care.
"There is no reason why we can't have 10,000 of these," he said. This is a self-sustaining way to take care of our own."
Primary Care and the uninsured
Vargas realized that there was a need for another community health clinic in Macon County while volunteering at the Highlands Community Care Clinic.
About 50 percent of the patients he saw were from the Franklin area, he said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 estimates, 44.8 million U.S. residents lack health insurance and approximately 1.3 million of those uninsured live in North Carolina. In Macon County, about 20 percent of the county's residents are uninsured, according to a study conducted by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
Health departments across the state are working diligently to bridge the gap between health care services and the uninsured. Organizations like the state Rural Health and Community Care Center develop health clinics and recruit physicians to North Carolina.
"There is a need in the state for health care access for the uninsured," said Mark Snuggs, a data analyst at the center.
The statistics reveal that a lot of people do not work in a job with employer-based insurance, he said. If they have to go to the doctor, they are paying for it out of pocket.
"There is always a need for someone to see these folks," he continued. "It's sort of the biggest game in town, state wise," he said.
When health officials in Macon County heard about Vargas' idea, the response was supportive.
"I think it's very positive," Macon County Health Director Jim Bruckner said. "He's definitely a physician meeting the needs of the uninsured. I think he is doing his part, and there is a need here in Franklin."
Kathy McGaha, program director for Healthy Carolinians for Macon County, is also a supporter of Vargas's clinic.
"A lot of good things are happening in the West (United States) as far as trying to provide people with this care," she said. "Doctors and organizations are becoming creative to meet the needs of the people who are falling through the cracks."
Once Vargas' clinic opens, it will help increase the number of people seen by a physician. About 1,070 patients a year will be seen between the two clinics, Bruckner said. There are 6,500 residents who are uninsured in Macon County.
The Man
After graduating from University of North Carolina's medical school in the late 1990s, Vargas moved to the mountains of West Virginia to complete his residency at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Medical Center.
It was this experience that would attract Vargas and his wife to the mountains of Macon County.
"I just loved the area and the mountains," Vargas said. "I wanted to live in a place with a small-town atmosphere."
Vargas moved to Asheville, where he worked as a partner at a family practice. But working as a traditional family doctor was not the path he wanted to follow.
"It just wasn't for me," he said.
Acupuncture therapy training helped Vargas expand his vision of the kinds of treatment that could help his patients. When he left the family practice he started incorporating acupuncture therapy in with his family practice medicine.
"I just had to take a dose of my own medicine," he said.
He started his own practice, called New Mountain Medicine, where he offers integrative health care for his patients.
The Model
St. Luke's family practice in California, the model Vargas is trying to emulate, serves patients who are insured and uninsured. The clinic takes on patients who have health insurance and provides them with the services that one would receive from a family physician. The clinic calls these people benefactors because they pay a set fee for a year of care.
The fee allows the clinic to provide services to those who do not have health insurance, called recipients by the clinic.
But St. Luke's is located in a community of more than 200,000 people and is quite different than what would be needed to serve patients in Franklin. So Vargas transformed St. Luke's model to meet the needs of a small community in rural Appalachia.
"If we can pull it off here, it can be pulled off anywhere," Vargas said.
While formulating the clinic's specifics, Vargas sought out the help of his church and received a blessing from his priest. Vargas considers this deed a spiritually-guided effort and part of his Catholic faith.
"It's a Christian mission in a community," he said.
Perpetual Health
Next year Vargas hopes to have the clinic fully operational. He already has a board of directors established and is currently looking for an office space.
In order to make the clinic work, Vargas needs 300 benefactors to participate. Each benefactor will pay a sliding fee, which will be used to operate the facility.
The annual fee is $550 for kids, $1700 for those over 60 and $1,300 for those 35 years of age and older.
The 300 benefactors will generate enough money to subsidize a full-time clinic. The other part of the time Vargas will be providing free clinical care.
Benefactors who pony up the money will be able to see a return. The clinic is in the process of receiving its nonprofit status and will keep track of the number of visits from each benefactor. If a benefactor does not visit the physician enough to use up his contribution, whatever money is left will be considered a donation and can be deducted from taxes.
In addition, benefactors who donate to the clinic have the option of lowering their health insurance premiums. Since they are paying for primary care, they can investigate or explore higher deductible or lower premium options from their insurance company, Vargas explained.
The only time a benefactor would use their health insurance at Vargas' clinic is if he or she needed lab work or X-rays.
Office hours
At a typical free clinic, patients wait for long hours just to be seen by a doctor who has been working all day somewhere else. Treatment is quick and rushed because of the number of people. A 5:30 p.m. appointment can lead to one sitting around until 8 p.m. at night just for prescription for an antibiotic.
Vargas is changing this process at his clinic.
At Perpetual Health clinic patients will be able to see Vargas four days a week by scheduling an appointment. Vargas said having appointments will allow him to actually spend time with his patients.
"I want to be able sit down and figure things out," he said.
This will also help create a professional environment for Vargas and his patients.
"They will not be rushed through or wait forever," he said.
In addition, patients will be able to access the clinic's scheduling book on the web. The clinic will offer virtual office visits that will allow patients to go online and see when there is an appointment opening instead of calling the office to make an appointment.
When Nick Murphy heard about Perpetual Health, he thought the clinic would fit his needs perfectly. He has Medicare but would like additional coverage.
"I want something better than that," the 65-year-old said. "Medicare is good if I am in an accident, but not for routine care."
Murphy said he was also attracted to the idea of being a benefactor because the donation is part of his Catholic faith.
"That's what being a Catholic is all about," Murphy said about his donation.
At Perpetual Health, Murphy will pay a fee of $1,700 a year for care. His fee will help people like Lori McCreadie.
McCreadie has been battling heart problems since she was a child. Seeking medical care was not an issue for McCreadie as a child because she had health insurance through Medicaid. She lost the coverage when she turned 19, however, and because she had a serious medical condition and no health insurance she stopped going to the doctor.
"Who's going to pickup a person with a pre-existing condition like hers," said her mother, Charlene Puckett.
McCreadie hasn't been to see her heart doctor or seek routine care for her pacemaker since she lost her insurance.
Because McCreadie lives with the heart condition, she is more prone to illness than others.
"She just gets sicker than other people," Puckett said. Living a "normal life" is difficult for McCreadie. She works part-time as a waitress and has ambitions of going to college but is unsure of a major.
When Puckett heard about Vargas' clinic, it was a glimmer of hope for her daughter. Vargas will be able to treat McCreadie for her primary care needs.
"When I heard about this, I was very excited and I've been on cloud nine ever since," she said.
How it works
Perpetual Health is a community-supported practice. The clinic will provide care to two types of patients. The "benefactors' are people who will be paying a sliding fee that is based upon their age. The fees range from $550 for children to $1,700 for those over the age of 60.
The benefactors will pay this fee up front, which will be used to help with the clinic's daily operations. The benefactor donation enables them to have unlimited visits to the clinic.
The money generated from the benefactors will also provide free health care to the uninsured. The clinic calls these patients "recipients." The clinic's hours will be divided between the two groups of patients.
For more information about the clinic visit www.perpetualhealth.info.


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Modern Skin: Simple Skin Tutorial
Creating a Modern Skin --> Intro --> Winamp 2 to Winamp 3+ --> Simple Skin Tutorial --> XML Intro --> Simple Skin Tutorial (Continued) --> Container --> Group --> Relative Positioning --> Complex Skin --> Non-Rect Player --> Layer Composition --> Alpha Channels --> Animatedlayer --> Snap Points --> Drawers --> Skin Scripting --> Drawer Scripting --> Animating a Skin --> Maki Overview --> Glossary
In the next section, we will show how to make a simple skin and teach you the basic modern skinning terminologies.
Before you start, you will need these items.
Simple Tutorial Skin File
We're going to show you how to make a simaple skin like the one shown below. Download the "Simple Tutorial Skin" example.
When you save the file, make sure that the type of the file is selected to "All Type" and NOT "Winzip" filetype. You should save the file into your skin subdirectory in your Winamp 5 directory. for most people, that path is "C:\Program Files\Winamp\Skins".
Text Editing Programs
You can use any text editing program to write XML and MAKI script files.
1) The plain Windows Notepad will do. It is under "Start Menu" => "Programs => "Accessories => "Notepad". Here's what it looks like.
2) However, if you intend to do alot of coding rather a quick editing, we recommed you to use something like EditPlus. EditPlus will automatically color your HTML and XML code. The coloring makes it easier for you to see your code and find missing closing tags. Here's what it looks like.
You can select the type of coloring by going to "Document" menu => "Change File Type..."
A Graphics program
We recommend Adobe Photoshop or Paintshop Pro. Here're some graphic design tutorials if you're new to graphics.


text:
April 26, 2013
KSDB-FM gets new station manager
Eric Nehm, graduate student at the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, is the new station manager of KSDB-FM. The appointment was announced by the KSDB-FM advisory board.
Nehm brings significant experience to the position from his work with Entercom radio stations WSSP-AM and KISS-FM in Milwaukee, Wis., and has a bachelor's degree from Maryville University in St. Louis, with a double major in English and communications.
While at Maryville University, Nehm, provided color commentary and play-by-play for volleyball and basketball games, as well as participated in the talk show, "Saints Talk." Nehm has been producing live broadcasts of the Milwaukee Admirals hockey games on WSSP-AM and has had various KISS-FM on-air duties, including producing community access programming.
Nehm is moving to Manhattan this summer to transition into his duties as the new KSDB-FM station manager and begins his graduate studies at the start of the fall 2013 semester.


text:
Beth Newell
(Performer)Beth Newell is the Managing Director of the Magnet Theater's Sketch Teams and the editor and co-founder of Reductress, the one and only fake women's magazine.
Beth is a member of the sketch group ?Dumbkowsky? whose work has been featured on The Huffington Post and The Best Week Ever Blog. She has directed several shows at the Magnet including the ?Lady Sketch Show? and "Breakfast for Dinner." She also performs improv at the Magnet with ?:Kiss*Punch*Poem:? and ?Sad Kids.? Once upon a time she was a member of the cult classic improv group, ?Bombardo,? and starred in the web-broadcast reality show, ?Project Improviser.? She has contributed writing to The Onion News Network, McSweeney's, and The Bygone Bureau.


text:
Arsenal have announced they will be freezing ticket prices for home games for the 2013/14 season.
The club have been criticised by their own supporters for the cost of a ticket to watch them play – including last November, when a group of fans wrote to the club to vent their frustrations.
Fans of teams travelling to the Emirates Stadium have also been left unhappy – with almost a third of tickets being returned by Manchester City for their clash on 13 January after their supporters opted against paying the cost, and Arsenal have now decided to freeze the ticket prices.
A statement from the club said: "Arsenal Football Club has announced it will not be making any ticket price increases next season.
"The move follows a full review by the Arsenal board which included an assessment of the current economic environment and feedback from fans' groups.
"The price freeze means Arsenal will have made only two across the board inflation-linked price increases in the eight years since it has been at Emirates Stadium.
"This season the club introduced new pricing categories which created 90,000 cheaper tickets at £25 as part of its drive to provide more tickets at affordable prices. In addition it continued the policy of offering prices at £10 for adults and £5 for children for home Capital One Cup ties.
"The price freeze applies to all match ticket prices including season tickets in both General Admission and Club Level. Club Level season ticket renewals will begin on February 12."


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Chapter 4
Ezekiel symbolically illustrates the siege and famine that will befall Jerusalem.
1 Thou also, son of man, take thee aa tile, and lay it before thee, and bportray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
2 And alay siege against it, and bbuild a fort against it, and ccast a dmount against it; set the camp also against it, and set ebattering rams against it round about.
3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a asign to the house of Israel.
4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
9 ¶ Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and afitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.
10 And thy ameat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
13 And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their adefiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
14 Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been apolluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which bdieth of itself, or is ctorn in pieces; neither came there dabominable flesh into my mouth.
15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with aastonishment:
17 That they may want bread and water, and be aastonied one with another, and bconsume away for their iniquity.


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Black Oak Arkansas So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star Lyrics
So you want to be a rock and roll star?
Then listen now to what I say.
Just get an electric guitar
Then take some time
And learn how to play.
And with your hair swung right,
And your pants too tight
It's gonna be all right.
Then it's time to go downtown
Where the agent man won't let you down.
Sell your soul to the company
Who are waiting there to sell plastic ware.
And in a week or two
If you make the charts
The girls'll tear you apart.
The price you paid for your riches and fame,
Was it all a strange game?
You're a little insane.
The money, the fame, and the public acclaim,
Don't forget who you are,
You're a rock and roll star.
See also:
Morning Musume Do It! Now (Instrumental) Lyrics
OTIS DAY & THE KNIGHTS (You Know You Make Me Wanna) Shout Lyrics


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The University's online programs follow an open curriculum instead of a predefined course list. The student and academic department set forth a path uniquely tailored to the needs, interests, opportunities, and real world demands that surround each student. The Virtual Campus and MYAIU platform bring online learners closer to the university than ever before. AIU offers degree programs for adult learners at the bachelor's, master's, doctorate, and postdoctoral levels in a wide range of majors and areas of study.
Business & Economics Science & Engineering Social and Human StudiesEach student has a Tutor & Academic Advisor to help guide them through the program.
Learn about AIU's Accreditation and Recognition
Read More
Video on the Vision of the AIU program.
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Integral Culture based on the person, is one that includes all the existing components in the individual, in their relationships, and in the environment in which they move.
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Cracked Round-Up: Life's Greatest Question Edition
Our Enlightenment Team spent years roaming the world. They gathered dozens of philosophers, scientists, holy men- and brought them here, to Cracked's offices. We locked them all in a conference room for six days with one task: find the greatest unanswered question in all of human existence.
If we'd locked some water in there with them, it might even have worked.
Adam Brown got us going with a shameless plug for his open mic night. Brendan McGinley revealed the physical traits that determine an evil character while Gladstone looked at ways you can tell the economy still sucks. Bucholz was next, with a guide to swapping bodies with your mortal enemy. Soren Bowie followed up with the Craigslist Missed Connections of the movie world and Luke McKinney showed the board games that ruin it for everyone. John Cheese dished up some life advice on the worst things people do while trying to help as Brockway stirred up simple problems technology should have fixed by now. Luke McKinney primed us for the weekend with the most impressive tales of online gaming dickery.
6 Moments in Video Game Adaptations That Improved The Movie
And yet, Chronicles of Riddick is the only case where people say 'play the game, don't watch the movie'.
Notable Comment: "The biggest mistake is luke having a red lightsaber and vader having a blue. Thats just fucked"
The hell, Silent_Bob? A guy can't prefer the color red without being a Sith Lord? That's just offensive, dude.
The 5 Most Embarrassing Past Lives of Famous Musicians
If Billy Joel can bounce back from Attila, you can bounce back from anything. Even murder.
Notable Comment: "I wouldn't make fun of Billy Joel. That entire song was about how Billy Joel is secretly at every important moment of your life, just out of view. Anger him, and he will f**k every second of your existence with fire and kickass sunglasses/suit combo."
SOCOM gives a lot of Badass Credits to the man who wrote 'Uptown Girl'.
5 Famous Online Copyright Crusaders Who Are Total Hypocrites
You only crusade against the ones you love.
Notable Comment: "Isn't MTV it's own trashy cousin? "
Yes, Earthbound_X, but at least it's its own second cousin.
5 Shockingly Advanced Ancient Buildings That Shouldn't Exist
Our ancestors weren't stupid, and they didn't have things like "television" and "internet pornography" to distract them from making crazy shit.
Notable Comment: "Is it bad that I actually knew about most of these from watching Ancient Aliens?"
'Bad' is the wrong term, soasertsus. 'Harbinger of the End Times' is more to the point.
5 Diabolical Ways Your Body Tricks You Into Being Fat
In all fairness, most of us don't require much trickery.
Notable Comment: "The western infidels grow fatter, now is the time to strike."
Now? Give the Doritos tacos people two more years, Noelinho, and there won't be any more infidels to hate.
Adam Tod Brown
Why The Future of Space Travel is Going to Suck
Cult or sober space travel, your choice.
23 Famous Movie Plots Easily Solved by Text Messages
We're practically giving money away! Wait, not practically. Totally. We're totally giving away money to people, people with mediocre to decent Photoshop skills. People like you. Wouldn't you like to be a person like you? This week, you can be by entering our latest contests, Awesome Reboots of TV Shows, What Presidents Have Wasted Our Tax Money On, Statistics You'll Wish You Hadn't Seen and Things You Didn't Know About Famous Song Lyrics. We also have a $200 bonus contest this week- Awesome Sports You Can Only Play in Space.


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In this continuation story, an SI author-avatar learns the tragic reason why the main Ranma timeline was posted as 'off-limits' during Toltiir's contest, The Bet, and is determined to do something about it. (SI) (Adventure) Ranma ½. Based on Gregg "Metroanime" Sharp's "The Bet". A Late Bet Attempt: War on the Main Line A series of character studies about the Ranma support cast, as they struggle to come to terms with each other after the failed marriage at the end of volume 38. (Introspective) Ranma ½. |
Short Stories | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Layout, design, & site revisions © 2005 | Webmaster: Larry F Last revision: May 21, 2007 |


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Microsoft's desktop (left), Xbox (middle) and Windows Phone (right) will soon share one common interface.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Microsoft is staging a comeback -- and, unlikely as this sounds, it's one Apple and Google should be worried about.
Microsoft's recipe relies on three key ingredients: Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox. The secret sauce, which features a dash of Bing and SkyDrive, is still simmering. But Microsoft is nothing if not patient, and it thinks its trio of core consumer products will blend together in the next few years to form a major new ecosystem.
Here's the big vision: Whether you're using your TV, PC, tablet, phone, or almost any other device that comes along, you'll be able to accomplish all the same tasks through all the same platform. The form factor will change, but the core experience won't.
"People are starting to see the same look-and-feel across the three screens and the cloud," says Craig Beilinson, director of Microsoft's consumer marketing. "This is all going to get pretty blurry."
It's a vision shared by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), but their implementations are fundamentally different.
The linchpin of Microsoft's plan is Windows 8, which is set to launch this fall. The new operating system features touchscreen integration and the interactive tile-based "Metro" user interface, which debuted in late 2010 for Windows Phone 7 and made its way to Xbox last summer.
That lets Windows run -- quite well, according to early reviews -- on a host of new devices, including tablets, table tops, large touchscreen displays and convertible notebooks.
Microsoft is also baking cloud-based services like Windows Live, SkyDrive and Bing into all of its consumer products. Sign in on any device and you'll have access to all of your content, apps, preferences and search history.
Apple and Google's device ecosystems are more fragmented.
Apple says we're in a "post-PC" world. Its solution puts mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone at the forefront, envisioning the PC as a wholly separate device and platform. Macs integrate with iOS devices, but there's a clear schism in Apple's world view: Mobile devices are for content consumption, Macs are for creation.
For example, it's hard to build iPad apps on an actual iPad. To run Apple's Xcode developer software, you need a Mac.
Google's model focuses on the Web as the single platform of the future. It's a device-agnostic approach, but it requires constant connectivity. Once you go offline, your connection to Google's computing platform vanishes.
Right now, both are thrashing Microsoft in key markets. Microsoft has watched Apple race past it in media and tablets. Google captured search and the cloud, and both companies overtook Microsoft in smartphones. Meanwhile, sales of the PC -- Microsoft's bread and butter -- have stalled.
That puts Microsoft in an unusual position. It's the underdog.
Microsoft-turned-Google-turned-Microsoft engineer James Whittaker explained that phenomenon in a recent blog post about why he left his job as a head engineer on social network Google+ to return to Redmond.
Facing an existential crisis, Microsoft is making radical changes. Windows and Office "have clearly undergone some sort of genetic re-engineering," he says.
In a lightly veiled swipe at Google, he added: "Most big competitors don't want the disruption. When you make your money on the status quo, you are incented to move slow or not at all."
Microsoft can't afford to move slow. It knows that in five years, the PC won't be what it is today.
Your office desktop will probably still have a monitor, a mouse and a keyboard, but those are just accessories. As mobile devices get better and faster, they're taking over more of our computing tasks. Soon, a smartphone -- or a tablet -- could be your central device. Plug it into your desktop dock in the morning, then take it with you at night, and you'll have have an extremely portable, all-in-one computer.
That's the world for which Microsoft is building Windows 8. It can run everything from a touchscreen app like Angry Birds to resource-intensive software such as 3-D games and video editing tools. That sounds simple, but it's an all-in-one approach Microsoft's rivals have chosen not to pursue.
Windows 8 probably won't be an instant hit. It's a dramatic change, and corporate IT departments -- Windows' biggest customer base -- are slow to shift directions.
That's OK with Microsoft. It's prepared to play the long game, devoting years -- and, often, billions of dollars -- to cracking the markets it considers critical.
That's why it was willing to lose money for so long on Xbox, which recently became the world's leading game system. That's also why it is willing to plow billions each year into Bing, which remains a financial black hole.
"We're a company that has extraordinary patience," says Microsoft's Beilinson.
Patience is great, but execution is critical. Microsoft's mobile track record is littered with some spectacular failures -- like Windows CE, the mobile operating system designed to look and function like Windows on the desktop. Sound familiar?
There's signs Microsoft has finally learned from its previous catastrophes. Its "consumer preview" version of Windows 8 is drawing cautiously optimistic reviews.
Cnet reviewer Seth Rosenblatt calls it "the most ambitious operating system ever," with a "speed and responsiveness" that Windows has never had before. Gizmodo deemed it a "daring" and "brilliant," while The Telegraph says it's Microsoft's "most radical release in a generation."
All the reviewers point out a key question mark hanging over Windows 8: Developer support. The platform will only take off if software makers embrace it as a legitimate third player in the Apple-and-Google field.
That's why Microsoft is throwing everything it has into creating a new ecosystem. It can't afford to be wrong.


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New Tenants coming soon:
New Buildings/Developments
Property Finder Opens a New Window. is an interactive map used to make Township Geographic information System (GIS) data available to the public. Information is displayed in the form of layers which can be turned on and off using the layer drop down menu. Data may be searched such as parcel ID number, address, property owner's name, developments, and streets using specialized tasks. Other viewable data layers include aerial imagery, streets, parcels, developments, and base map layers.


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Dc fix MATT MIDNIGHT NAVY BLUE Sticky Back Plastic Plain Sample
£0.75 £0.63 ex VAT
A4 size sample
Please note A4 sheets are cut randomly and will differ from picture shown.
Please note samples are non-refundable.
Dc fix Matt Midnight Navy Blue Sticky Back Plastic Vinyl Wrap Film Sample
Dc fix Matt Midnight Navy Blue sticky back plastic is available in either gloss or matt finish, a popular choice for updating doors, on a budget. This kitchen vinyl wrap can completely change the look of your room, cover plinths and appliances for a more coordinated look.
High Quality
Dc fix is our preferred brand of vinyl film due to its 5* rating for adhesion, opacity, lightfastness, shrinkage and durability. The water based low tack adhesive allows it to be repositioned during application.
Quick and easy to apply to clean, smooth flat surfaces. Simply remove the backing paper little by little and smooth into place, moving the smoother side to side to eliminate air bubbles. If you make a mistake, peel back and start again. The film is heat resistant to 75C so OK for hot cups and plates but NOT hot pans. Always keep at least 12 inches away from naked flames.
Non Permanent
Sticky back plastic is a non-permanent DIY solution for updating surfaces in the home. Perfect for tenants and landlords looking for a quick, easy and budget-friendly way of updating kitchen doors or rejuvenating old worktops. It's also perfect for upcycling items of furniture. The film is fully removable – use a hairdryer to soften the adhesive first and warm soapy water to remove any remaining residue.
Easy Care
Wipe clean your Dc fix Matt Midnight Navy Blue sticky back plastic with a regular household cleaner. Wipe up spillages that may stain straight away (eg curry). Always use chopping boards for cutting and worktop savers for hot pans. If you do damage the surface, don't worry, just cut out the damaged section and replace with a new piece of film, ensuring any joins are overlapped slightly!
Peace of mind
Product is well protected and delivered in a strong postal tube or box to avoid damage during transit.
Top Tips!
- We recommend using a dc fix application kit containing a scalpel and smoothing tool to make the job easier
- Use the handy grid on the backing paper as a cutting guide
- Use a sealant around sinks and hobs
- Spray a little water on smooth surfaces like glass & appliances
- A hairdryer can be used on curved surfaces to make the vinyl more pliable
- Follow our How to Apply guide for best application method
There are no reviews yet.


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Long considered the epicenter of high society, Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood relatively unchanged over the years, with a large portion of the area between Fifth and Park Avenues and 79th and 94th streets designated as historic landmark districts.
Settled by the great 19th-century business titans, Carnegie Hill is still distinguished by its great monuments -- mansions erected by the likes of Andrew Carnegie, Henry Cook and Isaac D. Fletcher. Today, many of these great turn-of-the-century estates have been converted into museums, schools and foreign consuls.
The Museum Mile district, which runs along Fifth Avenue from 79th Street north to 110th Street, features the city's most important art museums, anchored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art at Fifth Avenue between 80th and 84th streets. Other acclaimed institutions include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the National Design Museum (housed in the former Andrew Carnegie mansion) and the Jewish Museum.
Due to the close proximity of Central Park, Carnegie Hill is especially popular with young families, many of which are also attracted to the area's elite private schools, including Spence, St. David's, Nightingale-Bamford, Marymount and Dalton. Notable houses of worship include St. Ignatius Loyola Roman Catholic Church, the Park Avenue Synagogue, the Brick Presbyterian Church and the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest.
Carnegie Hill is famous for its high concentration of exquisite pre-war apartment buildings, including 998 Fifth Avenue, 1010 Fifth Avenue, 1185 Park Avenue, and 12 East 87th Street. The area north of 86th Street -- once considered less desirable, except along Fifth Avenue -- is now fully integrated into the overall character of the neighborhood. Important post-war buildings include 45 E. 89th Street, a large 40-story building erected in 1969; and Carnegie Hill Tower at 40 E. 94th Street, a 32-story building completed in 1983.
For dining, Madison Avenue is an ideal destination for pre- or post-museum lunches and dinners. And while the majority of the avenue's well-known designer boutiques are located further south, Madison Avenue in the 80s and 90s also features its share of exclusive shops, including high-end children's clothing store Jacadi and home design shop Jonathan Adler. Carnegie Hill and neighboring Yorkville share a commercial hub at 86th Street, providing residents easy access to a movie theater, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy and other chain brands.
The area is well served by the 4,5 and 6 subway lines running along Lexington Avenue, with express and local service available at the 86th Street subway station and local service at 77th and 96th streets.


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Clean Pro LIncoln
Best Gutter Cleaning Service in LIncoln NE !
Clean Pro LIncoln is the premier provider of gutter cleaning services in the LIncoln, NE area. Years of experience, timely service, attention to detail, respect for your property, and concern for safety are the qualities that separate us from the competition. We provide affordable gutter cleaning results near you.
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers 100.4 square miles (260.035 km2) with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is Nebraska's second-most populous city and the 73rd-largest in the United States. Lincoln is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area in southeastern Nebraska, the Lincoln Metropolitan and Lincoln-Beatrice Combined Statistical Areas. The statistical area is home to 361,921 people, making it the 104th-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
40th&A, Amber Hills, Antelope Park, Arnold Heights, Autumn Wood, Belmont, Bethany, Bicentennial Estates, Bishop Park, Capitol Beach, Capitol Beach Lake, City of Lincoln Urban Development, College View, Colonial Hills, Colonial Hills Park


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The Black Music Association Movement Of Jah People
Carol Cooper, SoHo Weekly News, 28 June 1979
DURING A DEFINITIVE rendition of 'Exodus' which capped an hour-long show by the Wailers, Stevie Wonder joined Bob Marley on stage and moved 2,000 members of the Philadelphia-based Black Music Association to their feet in a visceral optimism so strong that for a palpable moment all the tensions and doubts provoked during last week's conference seemed resolved. Music has been known to do that.
Total word count of piece: 1189


text: I had a very blessed year and I'm SO thankful for my family and friends. I was reflecting and decided to pick out images to share with you. Here are some of my favorite memories of 2012. I feel so inspired, happy and excited for 2013 because I know it's going to be filled with blessings!


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Are we all Martians?
In summer 2011, a few Moroccan night owls saw Martians in the Sahara Desert. The otherworldly visitors didn't arrive in a flying saucer, but on a 2.4-pound (1.1-kilogram) fragment of rock that glowed red-hot in Earth's atmosphere before landing near the village of Tissint.
OK, we're taking a few liberties with the story. The rock — a meteorite — did indeed come to our planet from Mars. Whether we can slap a "Life On Board" sign to its black, dimpled surface remains to be seen. Other Martian meteorites, however, have provided clues about a truly tantalizing possibility: that primitive bacteria first formed on our red neighbor and then traveled through space to Earth, where they became the seeds of our spectacular biological diversity. If that idea were proved true, we'd all be Martians rather than Earthlings.
It's not a new proposal. In the 19th century, British physicist William Thomson Kelvin, known to most students as the father of the absolute temperature scale (measured in kelvins), also had a few ideas about geologic history and the evolution of life on Earth. One was that seed-bearing meteorites zipped through outer space.
"If at the present instant no life existed upon this earth, one such stone falling upon it might … lead to its becoming covered with vegetation," Kelvin said while addressing the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1871.
Swedish chemist and Nobel laureate Svante Arrhenius pursued a similar concept in "Worlds in the Making," which was published in 1906. In the book, Arrhenius introduced the term panspermia to describe a process by which bacterial spores could drift through the solar system on undulating currents of electromagnetic energy.
For a while, these notions seemed like the musings of hardcore scientists turned a little batty. Then, in the 20th century, evidence for panspermia became more abundant and more compelling. One of the real turning points came when NASA sent two Viking probes to Mars in 1975. The Viking 1 lander touched down in Chryse Planitia, Viking 2 in Utopia Planitia. Both snapped photos of the Martian landscape and then measured various properties of the atmosphere and soil. The Viking data didn't conclusively prove the existence of life on Mars, but it did reveal the red planet had a unique ratio of noble gas isotopes in its atmosphere.
In the 1980s, scientists discovered a similar chemical signature in a group of space rocks known as the SNC meteorites (named after three representative members of the group: Shergotty, Nakhla, Chassigny). The gases found trapped in these meteorites matched the gases detected by the Viking landers when they tested the Martian atmosphere in the 1970s.
They also study previously collected specimens to see if any should be reclassified. Of the 53,000 meteorites that we've officially cataloged on Earth, 104 have been labeled Martian [source: Marlow]. Eyewitnesses have only seen five of these rare rocks arrive on our planet. The rest made a quiet entry and were found after their impact, often in Antarctica or North Africa because they're easy to spot on ice or sand.


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Have You Tried: Grapeseed Oil?
Malgorzata Biernikiewicz
Have you been missing out on this healthy fat? One try and this oil will quickly become a pantry staple.
Made from the same grapes used for wine making, grapeseed oil is extracted from the tiny inner seeds. Commonly imported from countries like France and Switzerland, this light and fresh oil is becoming more widely available in the United States.
Its clean and mild flavor makes it a better choice in dishes where you don't want the flavor of the oil to compete with the other ingredients.
Grapeseed also has an extremely high smoke point, making it ideal for high cooking temps in cooking techniques like stir frying, sautéing, baking and frying,
Just like all other plant-based oils, grapeseed contains 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. The majority of the fat comes from the uber heart-healthy polyunsaturated variety. It's also a plentiful source of the antioxidant vitamin E – each tablespoon has 25-percent of the daily recommendation. Grapeseed oil also contains a compound called OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), which only adds to its antioxidant and cell-protecting power.
- Make stir fry-inspired lettuce wraps
- Whisk into a sesame-ginger salad dressing
- Bake corn muffins
- Replace butter for sautéeing veggies
- Whisk up homemade mayo (to enjoy in moderation)


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No one disputes that diagnosed rates of autism have increased enormously over the past 15 years or so, around the world. However, other people write it off as essentially a cultural phenomenon: we're getting better at detecting the disorder and more willing to label kids as having it.
I subscribe to the latter view, but there's very little hard evidence for it. To prove that diagnostic changes have occurred, rather than a true increase in autism, you'd have to know what would have happened to today's kids, say, 20 years ago. Would they have been diagnosed? We have no way of knowing. At least not until someone invents a time machine.
However, a new study just out offers a valuable new perspective on the debate: Spatial clusters of autism births and diagnoses point to contextual drivers of increased prevalence.
According to authors Soumya Mazumdar and colleagues, there's a zone of high autism prevalence in California, areas where kids aged 0-4 years old are more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. The epicentre is L.A.; there's actually three overlapping hotspots centred on Santa Monica, Alhambra and North Hollywood.
In these clusters, autism rates are between 2 and 6 times higher than the rest of the state.